by Cee, DW
We landed in Maui and met Jane at the hotel. Jane and Emily went to get settled in their room, and I stopped by their room after Nick and I had unpacked.
“Are you ready for our first excursion?”
Emily nodded her head. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” I grinned. “Let’s go.”
Emily’s eyes popped at the sight of the helicopter waiting to take us on a tour of Maui.
“I’ve never been on a helicopter before. I’ve actually never been to Hawaii. This is so exciting,” she whispered into my ear.
On the helicopter, no different from the opera, I enjoyed watching Emily’s wide-eyed expression more than the view itself. She seemed most in awe with all the waterfalls we passed over. We’d have to go swim near a waterfall, if that was what she enjoyed the most. I held her close to me the whole ride, and I could sense Mom watching us with a smile. Knowing my abundant love for this girl, Mom couldn’t help but love her as well.
Emily took off her headset and pushed mine back to whisper another message into my ear. “Watch the view…you see me all the time.”
I kissed her and confessed, “I’d rather watch you.”
She smiled.
At lunch, Emily sat next to Mom and Jane and they talked feverishly about taking a girls’ ski trip up to Mammoth before Emily’s and Jane’s vacations were done. I thought about protesting a girls-only trip but let it alone, as I’m sure Mom and Jane both wanted to get closer to my love.
“Emily, Jake tells me you’re a foodie. Do you want to pick out some restaurants with me to try out during our stay here? We can’t eat hotel food the whole time.” Nick brought up Emily’s favorite conversation.
“I’d love to! Did you bring any guides or should we look it up online?”
“Let’s stop by a bookstore and do some research.”
“Sounds great. I’ll talk to the hotel concierge as well. That sounds like fun. What’s next on the agenda?” Emily asked Mom.
“We have a tour guide waiting for us to take us on a hike. Did you bring walking shoes?”
“Yes. I’ll go change into them right now.”
We walked to Emily’s room and she couldn’t stop smiling.
“Why are you so happy today? Is there something other than what you told me this morning?”
She shook her head no. “I’m happy to be a part of a family, especially your family.” That statement should have made me happy but instead it grieved my heart thinking about Emily’s not having had a family for so long.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, seeing the change of expression on my face.
“Nothing. You should hurry. Everyone’s waiting for us.”
We went on a long hike that led to a dormant volcano, then went snorkeling for half of us and scuba diving for the other half. I got scuba lessons for Emily so she could eventually dive with me on our next water vacation. By the end of her lesson, she looked exhausted.
“I need a nap,” she lamented in the ocean.
“We can go back and take one—your bed, my bed or the cabana?”
“At this point, I’ll take anything. I never exercise so today was too strenuous for me. Can we rest before dinner?”
I was thrilled to take a nap with her—assuming it was her plan to sleep with me. We ran into Mom and Jane at the hotel, and they talked Emily into going to yoga with them. There was regret in her eyes when we parted. I ended up surfing with Nick and Dad.
“Your mom and I really like Emily. You weren’t exaggerating one bit about her.” Dad was always on the encouraging side. He tried to find the positive in every situation and the good in every person.
“Thanks, Dad. I can’t explain how much I love this girl. I could spend every day, all day with her and it still wouldn’t be enough. Would you and Mom be fine with having Emily as a daughter-in-law?”
“Son, if you love her, we love her too. We would welcome her as a daughter.”
“Me too, I’d take Emily as a sister any day. She’s so cool not to mention drop-dead gorgeous.”
“I’m going to go meet Emily. She should be done with yoga. What time is the luau?”
“It’s at eight,” Dad answered.
“See you there.”
I chuckled to see Emily walking out of the yoga room completely drained. She fell into my arms, and I took her back to her room.
“I’m so tired,” she complained falling onto the sofa. “What time is dinner?”
“You have an hour. Do you want to take a nap?”
“No, it’s not long enough. I need to get ready for dinner. My body is salty from the ocean and gross from all the sweat. Will you come back for me in thirty minutes? I’m going to try to take a shower if I don’t fall asleep right here.”
“Sure. I’ll shower and get dressed as well.”
Jane opened the door for me when I got back and Emily was lying on the sofa watching TV.
“I think she’s asleep,” Jane whispered.
“I’m not,” Emily whispered back. “I haven’t moved since you left me, Jake.”
I sat and placed her head on my lap. “Do you want to skip the luau? I’ll let everyone know you’re too tired.”
“No, I want to be there. I’ll get up and change. Just give me a few more minutes. Jane, aren’t you tired?”
“A little sore from yoga but I feel fine.”
“You must be in great shape. My body will not function properly tomorrow at the rate I’m going.”
Always the trooper, Emily smiled through dinner, answered everyone’s questions, and participated happily.
“Hey, Emily, do you like the food here?” Nick started his food conversation again.
She shook her head no. “There are lots of choices but nothing to really choose. Everything tastes mediocre.”
“I agree. What should we eat for lunch tomorrow?”
“Do you think we can go out of the hotel and eat?” Emily addressed both of us.
“Let’s do that. Hotel food is so boring. I’ll see what my parents have planned for tomorrow and I’ll let you know at breakfast.”
“That sounds great.” Then she turned to me and spoke softly, “I think I need to go sleep. Is it all right if I leave now? The show is over, right?”
“I’ll go with you, Love.”
“I can go by myself. Why don’t you stay with your family a bit longer?” She tried to encourage me.
“Are you kidding? I’m just as wiped out as you are. Nick made me go surfing while you were at yoga.”
Emily went over to Mom and Dad and thanked them for today’s activities and hugged them good night. I hastily told Jane to go grab her stuff out of her room and sleep with Nick.
“Does Emily know about this? I don’t think she’s planning on being your roommate tonight.”
“Just do as I tell you. She’s going to be too tired to fight me tonight.” I grinned.
“You’re pathetic!” she answered and left to do as I asked.
I had an elaborate plan of all the reasons why we should spend the night together and rehearsed my argument while Emily was in the shower. Next thing I knew, I woke up to light kisses on my lips. This was my chance. I abandoned my speech and pulled her into bed with me.
“Jake. Please get up and go to bed.”
“I am in bed.”
“No, your own bed!”
I held her tighter and knew she was accepting the inevitable. Her body didn’t put up any resistance.
“Love, let’s just sleep like this.” I started kissing her lips so she couldn’t argue.
“My hair is still wet, and your sister will be here any minute now,” she answered when my lips traveled down.
I sent Jane a text signaling a thumbs-up and told Emily, “It’s done. Now sleep here with me just the way you are and let’s talk tomorrow morning. I am very tired.” Her verbal fight ended, and we spent a wonderful night together—though all we did was sleep.
My eyes rudely opened when I felt Emily pull herself away from my body, so I complained. “Emi…come back to bed. It was amazing being in bed with you the whole night. Let’s stay a little longer.”
She wouldn’t fall for the complaint or the begging that came after. She forced me to go get ready and within minutes, we went downstairs to breakfast. I saw my family’s smiling faces and Emily’s embarrassed one. I smiled right along with my family to Emily’s annoyance. I’d have to try spending the next two nights with her as well.
Breakfast, a basketball game—one where Emily couldn’t let herself root for our team—lunch, scuba diving, and surfing, I had to take my girlfriend away or she would collapse. I rented a cabana and took her in to take a nap.
“I thought you were going to let me take a nap,” Emily complained when I scooted her to the edge of her lounge chair to lay down with her.
“I’m helping you take a nap.” I grinned mischievously, letting her use my arm as a pillow.
Before she could answer, I showered her face with a barrage of kisses. Her weak complaints only encouraged me to take our intimacy further. I slid my hand under the cover-up and untied her bikini top. My hands flew to touch parts of her body that had never been explored.
Aroused by her soft moaning, I pulled her body on top of mine and attempted to pull down her bikini bottom. I couldn’t believe Emily was allowing me to get this far. Her complaints completely stopped and her lips dared not part from mine. Just when I was thinking I didn’t want Emily’s first time to be in a cabana on a lounge chair, we fell off the narrow chair. Emily laughed, turned around and swiftly covered herself. Great! I thought. Though I got to touch briefly, I still hadn’t seen enough of Emily.
“Let’s go out and enjoy the rest of the day,” she said, smiling apologetically.
“OK…” I mumbled. Having gotten that far, I had to try again tonight. With a little encouragement, Emily looked ready to show and tell her love.
Dinner took longer than anyone thought it would so we canceled our night excursions around town. Emily and Nick talked about all the restaurants they would visit tomorrow, and I told Jane to move her stuff out of her room and to bring my suitcase into her room.
“Did you get very far last night?” Jane asked. “Emily told me she had no plans to have sex with you.”
“We got nowhere but sleep last night. But, plans are meant to be changed. Stop asking personal questions. I don’t ask you who you’re sleeping with,” I admonished her playfully.
“I won’t ask either since I know you won’t be ‘sleeping’ with anyone either. Good luck. You’ll need it.” Thankfully she did as she was told.
I took Emily back to her room and she picked out a video but fell asleep on my lap five minutes into the movie. I attempted to carry her to her bed but Emily woke up and asked about Jane.
“Where’s Jane?”
“She’s with Nick. They’re at the movies.”
“Why didn’t we go with them or why didn’t they come here with us?”
“Sweetheart, they’re trying to give us some privacy.” The moment these words parted from my lips Emily looked around the room and realized what was going on.
“Why is your stuff here? And where are Jane’s belongings?”
I nervously explained we had switched rooms and that I planned to be with her the rest of the trip.
She scolded me and went into her long speech about wanting to stay pure.
“Come on, Emi. Wasn’t last night wonderful? Let me stay here with you.”
She cut me off and said no.
“Just one more night, please? I’ll switch back with Jane tomorrow.”
“No.” She was way too adamant on this issue. “Will you please ask Jane to come back into this room?”
Did I have a choice? I called Jane, and she laughed at me. “I told you so,” she jeered.
Like a child, I pulled my arms away from Emily’s shoulder and sat on the other side of the sofa. She held back her smile and put her head sweetly on my lap and placed my hand on her cheek. Whatever grudge I tried to hold dissipated faster than it formed.
With half the trip already done, Mom and Dad told us to spend Wednesday without them. They were committed to some alumni activity. Without looking, I knew Emily was ecstatic there would be no more strenuous activities. She and Jane talked about a spa day until I interrupted their plans.
“You are not planning to leave me alone and go to the spa all day, are you?” I accused Emily.
She and Jane both shook their heads yes.
Rather than scold my girlfriend, I got mad at Jane. “What am I to do if you take Emi away from me?”
“I don’t know. You and Nick find something to do. Go watch another basketball game.” Jane fought back.
“No way, Emi’s with me. You find your own friend.”
Nick got into this argument too. “I thought we were going to go find local food?” He looked over at Emily.
“I have a solution.” Emily stepped in. “How about if Jane and I do a half day at the spa while you boys go watch the morning matches? We’ll meet for lunch around one, and we can go into town and find yummy food.” Jane and Nick loved the idea. Emily knew I wouldn’t go for this without a fight.
To shut me up, she began kissing my lips. “My body hurts badly from all the exercise. I need a massage to unwind me. Would you be OK with that?” She pursued my lips till I gave in. What could I say to her but OK? Jane and Nick laughed at me, knowing my biggest weakness was my girlfriend.
Nick and I took the car and drove to the stadium but I only had the patience to watch one match. After two full days together, it was hard being away from Emily.
“Hey, Nick. Let’s go shopping. I haven’t finished my Christmas shopping yet.”
“Great. I still have a few people to buy presents for as well.”
We went to a mall and on the way to buying the chief a gift, I saw a solitaire engagement ring that caught my eye. Visions of this ring on Emily’s finger and us at home with kids running around, filled my mind. I wanted to propose to a woman who couldn’t yet admit she loved me. But judging by her actions, I knew she too wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. No longer would Emily be lonely on holidays or wondering who would love her the rest of her life. There would be no more fears about me breaking her heart, because we would commit to one another forever. I would most definitely be her best friend, her love, and the one to create a family with her. Telling myself to hold off proposing till Emily was ready, the salesgirl was ecstatic with my huge, spur-of-the-moment purchase. I, in turn, walked out content with my purchase and excited about our future together.
Nick came over and found me. “Hey, it’s almost one. Let’s get back.”
“Is it time, already? Did you get your shopping done?” I asked.
“Not really. I hope some of the shops are open on Christmas. I have several people to buy for.”
“If you’re not done here, I’ll go with you when we get home. I’m sure some of the stores will be open.”
My love looked happy and relaxed when I picked her up.
“Hi!” She beamed and gave me a hug. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
Hungry she was. She and Nick forced us to eat three lunches along with ice cream to top it off. Only after Jane and I begged, did she and Nick show us mercy. After lunch, we went back in our cabana but it wasn’t nearly as much fun as yesterday. Emily took a nap, and I read a book. Many times I looked over and desired to pounce on her but I gave her a respite from my advances and let her sleep.
Thursday brought more eating in town along with a peaceful day with just the two of us. Mom, Dad, and Jane went exploring, and Nick, after lunch, decided to go surfing one last time. We went back to the shops, and Emily bought presents for the rest of my family; I walked around content as her bag boy. We picked up Nick, and after one last trip to the ice-cream store, headed to the airport.
Chapt
er 11
Will You Marry Me? Part 1
We got into LA early Christmas morning, and we all went our separate ways. Emily walked on cloud nine talking about my family. It felt wonderful to know they all got along so well.
“I had such a wonderful time with your family, Jake. Thank you! Though I just met them, I cherish them like my own. Your mom and dad did an amazing job raising you three. I see why you turned out to be such a caring person. I’m really glad I came on this trip. I feel much closer to you and your family.”
If she loved my family as her own, she must love me as well. And since love to her is an eternal word, then she must want to be with me forever. After making such deductions, I pulled the car to the side of the road and decided to propose…now!
“Why are we stopping?”
I went to the trunk and pulled out the engagement ring from my suitcase and handed it to Emily. She looked shocked.
“Merry Christmas, Sweetheart.”
“Jake. I left your present at home. Let’s exchange gifts when we get back to my house.”
“No, I want you to open this now.”
She slowly unwrapped the present and looked frightened the moment she opened the box.
“Emi, don’t be scared,” I tried to convince her. “I bought this thinking I could hold off till you were ready but after this trip, I realize I don’t want to be without you.” I took a deep breath.
“Emily Anne Logan, I know it’s only been a short two months, but I want to be with you forever. I love you more than any man could love a woman, and I promise to love you this way for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”
Yes! I did it!
There was a long silence. Emily stared blankly. She looked like she was thinking about our situation. I leaned over and kissed her a few times to try to break her confused glare.
“Jake. You know how much I like you…” This was not the way I thought her answer would begin. “After meeting your family and spending time with you in Hawaii, I know your family is just about as perfect as a family can be. But, I’m not ready for a lifelong commitment. It’s too soon. You can’t mean this already. I am committed to you as a girlfriend, and that’s where I’d like to stay for a while. I hope this is OK. I’m sorry, but my answer is no.”